Draegon Childe
by Saienai
Summary: When Valhalarama died, Stoick was distraught. Hiccup wasn't though – for he knew that it would happen with just as much certainty as he knew that he himself would have to leave in a couple of years. Such was the life of a cursed one after all; and with his mother's blood flowing through his veins, he knew he would never fit in with the humans of his father's village.
1. 1: Discovery

**~Draegon Childe~**

I will say this only once: Anyone who has watched the original How To Train Your Dragon movie knows which parts of this are officially owned by whoever and which parts are not. Even so, I have changed the story so much that only the general events will be similar. In fact if I changed the character's names and switched the dragon types around this would almost be considered completely my story.

Please note,**_ this chapter is only a prologue_** (as is part of the next chapter) - **The story will focus on Hiccup and is going to be told by him**. I am trying out a different form of writing where the story as it is written is more or less a **conversation between two people, one of which (Hiccup) is telling his story to the other**. If you do not care how they met, you can probably skip to the third chapter (although you will then loose quite a bit of background information).

**Hope you all like this, so without further ado - here is the story:**

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**1 ~ Discovery**

_My name used to be Hiccup you know – and I quite realize how funny it is now; the oldest draegon in existence with such a name… That was then of course – I am nameless now. Still, when my father bestowed that name upon me, its meaning was drastically different – he hoped that I would live up to it; that I would be a problem to my enemies, cause them to stumble and fall before me. Now though…_

_You know that everything changes don't you? Over time all of us and the world around us changes imperceptibly until there are almost no similarities left. As my discarded name shows, even the meaning of the words said between the two of us has changed drastically since the age when I was born._

_So how sure are you that the meaning you gleam from my story is the same as the meaning I am trying to impart upon you? How sure are you that the conclusions you draw from it are true?_

- Eldest's words to the last draegon to have visited him; year 1783 by the human calendar.

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It was a regular day on the island – the last of the winter snow storms had receded not even a few hours ago and the dark clouds that had covered the sky for near a week's time dispersed, leaving only a few stragglers that shone eerily in the deep red color of the setting sun. Not many noticed this though; of the few human inhabitants of this island (if the research expedition could be called such), most were much too busy checking the equipment they had to leave behind before the storm set in. The few that did though could not prevent a shiver from running along their back – there was something foreboding about it, what with the clouds forming a pillar of red in the quickly darkening sky.

Still, even those that looked westwards where the ocean and the sky met soon put those thoughts away – they were already over a week behind schedule, and having been hand-picked from among the leading archeologists and scientists of their respective fields such a setback was like a black mark upon their pride.

Truly a horrible way to start looking into what by many of them was considered a discovery of the century – the storm had set in not even a day after they had set foot on this icy land. A more superstitious person may have remarked that it was as if the island itself didn't want to give up its secrets – nature itself setting working to preserve what could possibly be the last place on earth that had not been defiled by man.

That didn't apply to anyone here though – they were stronger, their lives given to science with little space left in their ordered minds for anything of mystical nature. _If there is anything that can only be explained through occult means, it simply means that we do not know enough to classify it under proper scientific laws; _they said, and most believed it with all their hearts. Funny really – considering that they came here more or less on the words of a single ship's crew that spoke of a nigh yet undiscovered island – an impossibility in the current world where every square mile had been carefully mapped from high above even the tallest mountains.

… an impossibility upon whose beach they were now camped out on.

The strange water currents surrounding the island were going to be carefully plotted by other groups that have set up their ships several miles offshore, but their work was minor in comparison to those upon the island – for the remains of buildings still standing not even a few meters from their camp spoke of human settlement where scientifically there should be none. Its age was anyone's guess at the moment – the never ending ice had encroached on it and preserved it for many centuries, safeguarding the secrets within with its cold hands.

Still, all of that would hardly warrant the combined interest of over thirty universities world wide – no, that honor was reserved to several grainy pictures that the sailors of that lone ship brought back with them along with a single bone that one of them picked up as little more than a curiosity piece. The skeleton in the pictures was of a being whose existence had been disproven long ago, making them be dismissed off hand as just another publicity stunt. The bone though…

That bone was the true reason for this mission – for once the interest in the 'unplottable' island grew and the bone was brought in for analysis by the sailor's son something quite astonishing came to light. The composition of the bone was different from all others on file for both live species and those long extinct – so drastically different in fact that for a few months it was considered a spoof, at least until the number of tests passed into the double digits and others were brought in to conduct their own separate analyses.

There were almost as many different theories on the origins of the bone and on the creature it belonged to as there were universities and private research groups in the world – and the sixteen people rushing around camp on this frosty afternoon in the fifth lunar cycle of this year were driven by a single purpose, to find out the _truth_ about this highly controversial piece of ancient history that had laid frozen upon this island for uncountable centuries.

Work only stopped when the last visible tip of the setting sun finally quenched itself in the ice cold waters of the Greenland Sea, and even then it took the few calm minds to convince the others that exploring frozen ruins of human civilization was not something that could (or should) be safely done with only a few artificial lights to provide guidance.

As the gathered group turned in for the night, none of them bothered to waste time on anything as pointless as stargazing – they had an early day tomorrow and it wasn't as if any of them were astronomers interested in the mysteries held within the boundless reaches of space. It was unfortunate, because above them a hauntingly beautiful aura danced across the night sky, and had anyone been watching its mesmerizing contortions they could have noticed a small black shape dart through the air when it temporarily blocked out a tiny section of the aura's undulating flows.

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* * *

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The next day dawned onto the sight of rushing scientists and their aides. Work had started a few hours before first light, and now that the ice encrusted remains of a human village was bathed by the sun's rays the expedition was finally ready to proceed. Hours passed as the group subdivided the long forgotten village into sections, recorded the general outline of the various houses, and plotted out a quick map of the location.

It was quickly revealed that a portion of the village was hidden beneath the everlasting ice, and plans were put in place to carefully excavate those sections. Other than that though, work continued in an efficient manner – this wasn't the first dig site for anyone on the team, and the week long storm had given them plenty of time to organize themselves.

As it was, a group of five were already taking preliminary photos of the easy to access areas – mostly of the more intact houses that have somehow managed to survive without caving in. There were several houses that have obviously been used to store food – the mummified remains of fish eternally preserved in ice lent credence to that.

The intact forge was found next, its stunning array of weapons hanging from the hooks or simply littering the floor prophesying years of work that would have to go into cataloging them and comparing them to other finds in an attempt to place the time period and origins of the tribe that forged them.

A few experts in historical artifacts remarked that the structures were similar on the outside to those of Viking origin; what with the crude dragon like wooden figures adorning most of them, and the Norse patterns carved into their sides. There were discrepancies though – no Viking tribes were known for constructing anything as well reinforced as the houses on this island. The discovery that several houses have likely contained more than one floor sent waves of excited puzzlement through the group – as did the few beams within the houses that hinted at subdivisions between rooms that have once been there.

The great hall positioned at the highest point of the slope upon which the village was situated turned out to be a treasure trove as well – though much of it had collapsed under the weight of the thick ice that had formed on its roof and allowed snow to accumulate within, a quick glance through revealed a couple bookshelves worth of old text. While the others continued on, three of them broke off to hover over the ancient books and carefully prepare them for transfer back to camp.

The rest of the day continued on in a similar manner, as would the rest of the coming week. With most of the buildings having undergone at least cursory inspection, the location featured in the picture was quickly found at the center of the great hall. Although no one amongst the expedition would admit to it, many were left feeling slightly let down when instead of the skeleton in the picture that had been hanging over a large circular table they found only the remains of a heavily rusted metal chain which ended not even a meter from the ceiling, proving that the mystical skeleton had been painted into the picture. So it happened that the search for any more bones similar to the one that started this furor continued, and the thin layer of ash mixed in with the snow under the chain went unnoticed by all but a single person.

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* * *

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Dianna Nikolaeva had been born with exceptional eyesight, though she never really advertised that fact. Having been born during the late period of the Cold war between the Eastern and Western groups, she managed to climb to distinction within the scientific community despite living what could only be called an _interesting_ life.

Her parents met each other by sheer accident amongst the multitude of Russian divisions focused on weapons research, and lived together for two years before Di's birth (as what little friends she had called her). What with her father being forced into one of the more secretive projects, Di was quite often left alone with her mother, which made her passing on when Di was only five years old all the more traumatizing despite her having been aware that it was coming.

Still, with her mother's blood flowing strongly within her, Dianna quickly rose to the top of her class once school started and continued that streak into her adult life. The single time she stumbled had been the year her father suffered an accident at his workplace and never returned home – the only explanation Dianna ever received was that he died serving his motherland and that the exact circumstances were classified behind so much red tape that she wasn't even allowed to know the city in which it took place.

She pulled through though, moving to Moscow in 1982 and while doing odd jobs for a living managed to get into the Moscow state university where she graduated with distinction in soil science and history simultaneously. By the time the Solviet Union broke apart in 1991, she was already gone, having managed to leave it two years beforehand during a pilgrimage she had gone on.

Settling down in the United Kingdom, she quickly got in to the University of Cambridge for their archeology classes, all the while working as an assistant professor in the history department. After another pilgrimage that took her from the chain of islands making up the Philippines to the mountains of Tibet, she moved again in 1996 to Iceland so as to begin her job there as a professor of history.

With a virtual net of contacts in all corners of the world, it was not too much of a surprise that only a few years later she had been invited to join the group setting out to the previously unknown island, especially when she herself had participated in several attempts at identifying the bone brought back from it.

Or really, confirming her suspicions about it.

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* * *

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It was the night of the third day that Dianna made her move. She had waited until everyone became so caught up in work that they would not miss her if she disappeared into the woods for a couple hours with but a flimsy excuse of scouting out the area. Now that she was no longer surrounded by the hum of machinery and excited voices of the expedition, she smiled at how simple it had been to get away – no one had even questioned her decision to explore the area alone.

With but the sounds of nature around her, Dianna let go of the tight control she had over her body (something that has become so natural to her that she could hold it in her sleep) and felt more than saw her pupils change ever so slightly into slits. While she knew of others of her blood that never bothered to hide their slit eyes and simply passed it off as a recessive misalignment of genes (something she found funny, for there was more than a grain of truth in it), her mother had lived in a time such a thing had not been too well received and had passed on those worries to her daughter. So much so that Dianna hadn't seen the _real _world for longer than a few seconds at a time for over five years now (and even those few glances were marred by the sunglasses she hid behind at such times).

A shiver ran over her back as the colors that have been absent from the world returned once more, the visible heat overlaying itself over what humans would consider as the natural coloring of the world to give everything a sort of ethereal beauty that made her wish she had never listened to her mother. It was too late for it now – she would never be able to pass off her sudden change of pupils as genetic.

Shaking her head to clear it, Di focused back on the reason she was here in the first place. She glanced around, hoping to spot the pinpoint of ethereal white light that each one of her blood had a few inches below their heart. She didn't place too much hope in it though – there were too many trees and rocks around her to see properly, and even if the _eldest_ was here on this island, Di wasn't naïve enough to expect to find _him_ without spending a few weeks searching.

_Nothing, eh?_

Not the least bit discouraged, she moved onwards, carefully marking the place she had been in on her copy of the aerial photo of this island. By the time the sun started setting and Di returned to camp, she had walked through several square miles of forest spreading to the east of the islet upon which the village was situated. The next day differed only in the location she searched, and so did the one after that. It was only on the third day that she found herself standing on the ledge of a cove stretching downwards perhaps fifty or sixty feet. The ancient trees positioned along the cove dipped their roots over the edges and instilled the solid rock faces with an almost living quantity, especially when the wind caused them to sway.

What truly caught her attention wasn't the cove, trees, or even the small waterfall feeding the pond in the center of the cove – no, it was the fact that for the life of her Dianna couldn't find even a trace of the cove on the aerial photos that have been perfectly accurate until now. Ironically, the impossibility of this did not catch her attention for that long – mostly because some of the clustered roots hanging down parted to let a regal looking being step out of the until then hidden cave and into the cove.

Feelings of wonder, excitement, contentment, and relief washed across her as the one being spoken of in legends that her mother imparted upon her – the _eldest_ of their blood that she had searched for for over sixteen years now was standing before her. Not even caring about anything else, she allowed her wings to spring out from the nook between her shoulder blades, ripping through the warm coat she had like claws through unprotected skin. Her tail followed soon after, and before her change was even halfway complete she threw herself off the ledge, the need to come closer to the _eldest_ of their blood overriding all inhibitions that the human side of her would have felt.

Even as she skid along the floor of the cove, her horrible landing a testament to how often she had taken this form, the _eldest_ spoke.

_:: Welcome to my island hatchling. It has been several centuries since the last one of our cursed blood had last come by. Have you come to hear my story, or to ask about how I have conquered the eternal curse we all bear? That was what the last draegon had come by to ask, and the one before him._

_Where are my manners though? Sit down and rest from your journey while I catch some fish for us to share. We can talk afterwards. ::_

Glancing up at the sleek black scales of the _eldest_ as he walked away, Dianna – no, _Shade_, as her mother had dubbed her when she had shifted, for the first and as of now second last time letting her true _draegon_ form free – allowed herself to sink to the ground. The change had taken more out of her than she had thought, but even so she was content.

Her search was finally over, and perhaps by the time she left the island she would be able to leave behind the curse that had controlled her life until now.

With it gone, she could perhaps marry and start a family without worrying about bringing another life into this world that would have to carry the same burden as she did.

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* * *

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I left the tired hatchling behind as I spread my wings and flew off to catch a couple fish from the nearby waters. Even as I flew within a few meters of a research ship that was one of many now encroaching upon this land, I didn't pay any attention to it. Humans had a way of ignoring what they didn't want to see, and I helped them out just enough that I was invisible to them. As for the instruments on board… the curse took care of that.

As I hooked a fifth fish out and flew back to deposit it on the steadily growing pile along the shore, I wondered how this latest wandering spirit would respond to the truth of our race. The last one took his life, and the one before that simply sat there for several weeks before standing up, thanking me for my hospitality, and flying off north. I could still feel that one's life, so perhaps there would soon be two elders of our race.

Still, it would be interesting to see how this one would respond – she seemed so much more… human… than the other two. So much so that it was difficult for me to relate. I am hardly a hermit – I have visited just about every country on Midgard (or earth, as the humans call it), and have lived amongst them often enough. Even so, we were different – I had discovered that bloody truth not even ten years into my life, and have seen it proven time and time again.

_Well, at the very least the next few weeks are not going to be boring – although perhaps I need to start looking for a new island to stay on; this one is quickly becoming too wide known…_

I didn't feel anything at the thought of leaving the island that I had lived on for many centuries now – one place was as good as the other for me, and none of them could ever be considered my home.

_After all, home is where the heart is, and I have lost that a long time ago…_

_._

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**A/N**

I have said all I wanted to up top before the story (to guarantee that people do not automatically skip it when they notice the a/n sign). Other than that, I will just note that I hope to get chapters published in a weekly / by-monthly basis, but this story is secondary to my Ouroboros epic which is secondary (unfortunately) to real life. This story shouldn't go on for long, as I am looking at roughly 20-30k words for it (unlike the 500k approximation for Ouroboros).

One last note: the name was originally Draegon child (coming from the fact that I came up with the story while watching wolf children), but CrackTheSkye suggested changing it to 'childe', and I liked the way it sounded.

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That's all from me today folks,

Saienai Signing off.


	2. 2: Seeker and Eldest

**~Draegon Childe~**

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**2 ~ Seeker and Eldest**

_It is the choices we make in life that define us – far more so than who or what we are born as. As beings within whom flows the blood of two of the three original races, we are given the unique chance of picking the race that we identify ourselves as. It matters little whether you pick to live out your life as a human or a dragon – or even if you decide to hold true to your cursed blood and try to live as part of both. Whichever path you pick, just make sure that it is the path that you decided upon and not just something others forced on you._

_Do that my love, and I will always be proud of you, no matter how far away from each other we are._

- Valhalarama's parting words to her son, several days before her disappearance. Fifth winter of the seventh generation since the founding of Berk.

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I came back to find my visitor asleep, and smiled at the curled up figure. It was almost painfully obvious that she had lived almost her entire life in a human body – if I had to haphazard a guess I would say she had taken to wing no more than five times throughout her life, as I have seen dragon hatchlings only a few moons old fly better than that sad excuse of a glide she had done. Even if I had not seen that, the way her wings sprawled along the ground behind her as she lay on her side simply screamed that she was all too used to the human form.

It made sense though – what with the humans coming up with more and more ways to monitor the world around them, the times when a _draegon_ could fly freely through the skies had decreased from 'every night' to 'nearly never'. Few _draegons_ ever learned to channel the abilities inherent in our blood like me, and even those that learned to do so were capable of only a fraction of what I was.

The ancient blood was slowly diluting, and there was nothing to be done about it – those most recently born were beginning to show signs of aging as immortality was replaced by long life… that was in turn replaced by a hundred-year lifespan. Amusing really, as by the time human ingenuity gives birth to something capable of keeping track of everyone on earth and their respective age, the _draegons' _lifespan wouldn't differ all that much from those of normal humans.

On the positive side, the curse that had haunted us for so long would also leave – from what I had seen, only a third of hatchlings born into a coupling of a _draegon _and a human are in turn _draegons_. Much different from the time I had lived through when it was a foregone conclusion that a hatchling of a _draegon_ would be a _draegon_.

Perhaps it was better this way – of the three original races that have populated the planet, only the humans would be left.

Shaking my head to clear off my melancholy mood, I burned a circle of ash a few feet away from my visitor and changing into my human form settled down to wait. I always found the slight tickling sensation of sitting on red hot rocks to be soothing; and having lived to see the passing of over a thousand winters, have learned to value the little things in life.

Glancing over to the still blissfully asleep _draegon_ next to me, I toyed with the idea of flaming her back to life, but ultimately discarded it. It wouldn't do to scare off the first visitor I've had in ages. Besides, I doubted it would be long before the appetizing smell of fish brought her out of the world of dreams, as changing shape always took quite a big chunk of energy out of us – especially if one wasn't used to it.

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* * *

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Di awoke to dull pain emanating from her back – somewhere a bit below her shoulder blades. Attempting to reach the affected area with her arm proved futile because for some reason it did not want to move in a way that it always had. Feeling the soothing clouds of sleep release their grasp on her and be replaced by worry, she made a move to sit up and experienced that brief sinking moment when she lost balance and began to tilt over.

Releasing a strangely animalistic bellow she instinctively moved her legs to prevent herself from falling, but only managed to get even further tied up as her legs got tangled up with her tail. Now sufficiently immobilized, she landed on her back and winced at the short flash of pain from her wings.

_… Wings? … Tail?_

Blinking several times to clear up her blurry vision, Di curled her neck to the right where she heard a gruff and almost bark like sort of laugher. The first thing she noticed was that the laughter was emanating from a guy sitting with his legs crossed only a few feet away from her. The next thing was that the ground upon which the strange human was sitting was red hot, with the air shimmering even a foot above the ground. Before surprise and worry for the obviously suicidal human could set in (let alone his state of undress), she saw the bright white core just a few inches below where she expected the human's heart to be, and everything fell into place.

The _eldest_, noticing that he had Dianna's attention, stood up; and for a moment she could clearly see the chiselled muscles adorning his strangely ageless body that spoke of countless years of training before the _eldest's _flesh seemed to ripple and flow outwards. The entire outlook of the body changed as the bones themselves shifted into their more natural state, beautifully black scales appearing to cover the skin even as the _eldest's _wings and tail shot outwards. Within a span of a few seconds it was all over, and the cove held two _draegons_ in their draconic forms within its walls once more.

_:: Good to see you awake once more hatchling. The waters around this island were plentiful today as well contrary to my expectations that the human boats would scare away all the schools – so sit down and join me for lunch, or dinner I should say seeing as how the sun is going to set in a couple of hours more._

_Oh, and do remember that you are in your true form now – don't try and stand on your back paws again. I doubt my ribs can handle a second time. ::_

It was fortunate for Di that she was in her draconic form, for her scales kept most of the embarrassment from being visible on her face. Pushing all of that down she carefully stood up and slowly followed the _eldest_ to the pile of fish, the sight of which caused her stomach to rumble. It took quite a bit of concentration not to trip over her own feet, and she was thankful that the _eldest _didn't glance back – she knew that her wings and tail were dragging along the ground behind her, but it took all of her focus to move her legs properly, now that he had four of them instead of two.

Coming to a halt in front of the pile of fish, Di looked at the _eldest_ who had settled down across from him and bowing her head let off a single thank you. Or at least that was what she had wanted to do; but what came out was something akin to a cross between a growl and a croon as her draconic vocal cords attempted to deal with something they were never meant to pronounce.

The _eldest _let out a series of light growls that Vlad quickly understood to be chuckling.

_:: You may want to speak through your mind hatchling – in our true form it is difficult, to say the least, to pronounce human words. ::_

Silence stretched as Di tried to follow the _eldest's _vague instructions, but simply couldn't grasp it.

The _eldest _shook his head – perhaps his estimates on how quickly their cursed blood was washing away have underestimated the speed… or perhaps the visitor's inability to grasp the innate concept of mind speak was simply the result of her burying her _draegon_ heritage for so long.

Either way…

_:: Just eat hatchling. Once you have sated your hunger you can turn back to your human form and we can talk. It saddens me to know that you consider your human form as more natural, but I will not begrudge you for that – It was your choice after all. ::_

Dianna flinched at that, and slowly reaching out bit into one of the cods in the pile. The _eldest_ was right of course – in the end it had been her choice to bury away her inheritance and attempt to live as if she was completely human. Wasn't that her reason for attempting to find the _eldest_ in the first place – to try and find a way to end the curse once and for all so she could truly live out the rest of her life as a human?

Biting off a chunk of fish and proceeding to chew at it, Dianna wondered if she had made the right choice in the first place. It really took seeing a true _draegon_ who had accepted who he was for her to understand just how much she had been missing. Di had fought hard to hide the signs of her ancestry – always keeping her eyes under control, never taking the true _draegon _form… even going so far as to request middle seats during flights so as not to get caught looking out in longing at the endless skies and their eternal beauty.

The only thing she could not stop was part of the curse – the _wanderlust_ that caused all those who had _draegon _blood flowing through their veins to leave their homes seven or so years after they had come there. She had searched out the _eldest_ _draegon_ of whom legend told for this exact reason – the _eldest _was the only _draegon_ that had beaten off the _wanderlust_ that had been the only barrier standing between him and normal human life, and perhaps he would be able to tell her how she could do the same.

Now though… she wasn't sure what she wanted anymore.

_:: Do not chew hatchling – just bite and swallow. :: _There was amusement in the _eldest's _voice, and Di came out of his thoughts even more embarrassed than she had been going in.

The remaining fish were eaten in silence. When the last one disappeared down her gullet, Di closed his eyes and forced the change upon herself. Feeling her bones shift under her skin and the scales that had adorned her disappear, she felt the tension that he didn't even know was there disappearing along with them. For a brief moment she had been afraid that she would be unable to change back to human form – her change into her draconic form had been almost a subconscious response to finding the _eldest_, and it had been so long since she had last followed her mother's instructions and shifted forms that she could barely remember how she had done it.

Shivering as her now completely human body was exposed to the freezing temperatures, Dianna glanced around to try and find out where her clothing went, while at the same time trying to keep the _eldest_ from spotting her growing unease at being completely in the buff before him. Not that he was paying much attention to that though – Di wouldn't be surprised if he had found her more appealing when she had been in her draconic form than now. Still, she would feel much better once clothed – for both the warmth they provided and her own state of mind if nothing else.

Her hopes were quickly dashed as she spotted the tattered remains of her fur lined jacket on the ground halfway across the cove, along with other ripped pieces of clothing. There was a flash of light from the periphery of her sight, followed by a wave of heat. Jerking her head around she noticed that the _elder_ had flamed a small portion of the ground, effectively turning it into a makeshift heater.

_:: Keep yourself comfortable with that. I have a couple of jackets and jeans that would fit you back in the cave. ::_

The _eldest_ walked away, and soon returned with said items. To Di's astonishment they were quite modern in appearance and in quite a well-kept state, their forest green coloring accentuated by the white Nordic patterns running up and down the legs and sleeves along with a much more intricate pattern covering the chest. The fur lining the inside spoke of their design being made for colder climates, and Dianna felt herself shiver as she was reminded once more of the freezing cold temperatures common to this latitude.

_:: Put them on. I can always get more when I visit Iceland or Norway again. I am quite partial to Norse patterns and have several people who know that and specialize in comfortable clothing. You did not expect me to live out my entire life doing nothing but waiting for hatchling draegons like yourself to find me so I can instill my wisdom upon them, did you? ::_

In the middle of pulling her pants on, Di opened her mouth to reply, and closed it again. It was true – for some reason she had expected the _eldest_ to be sitting up high in a nigh inaccessible mountain somewhere, patiently awaiting the next person who would stop by.

_:: I did that you know – just sat around and waited for several centuries after the last Viking of this island fell to the illness that spread through them. One day I just woke up with the thought that I had lived for over three human lifetimes and yet have not been further than a day's flight from my birthplace. Left the very next day after that. It wasn't as if there was anything keeping me here. ::_

Now being fully dressed once more, Di watched in fascination as the _eldest_ burned himself a patch of grass until the ground crackled and glowed red in places. A puff of ash flew into the air as the _eldest_ settled in, and through the quickly dispersing cloud the two of them locked gazes, the bright green tint of Dianna's a sharp contrast to the dark green rimmed holes of darkness that stood as a testament to the true nature of the world they had seen.

_:: Now that we are both comfortable, tell me young one just why you have come seeking me out. Hatchling draegons have sought me out for over a millennium now – seeking answers that I do not have or blessings that I cannot impart. Age does not equal wisdom after all… If you live long enough you will understand._

_Still, let that not prevent you from asking your questions. Perhaps they are not as difficult as I imagine them to be. ::_

Gathering her thoughts, Di prepared herself to ask the question that she had sought an answer to ever since her mother had left him. Her question was twofold really – she wanted to know just how the curse upon their blood came about, and how the _eldest_ had managed to win over it.

Now that she was here though, sitting within a few feet of the being upon whom she had placed all his hopes, Di felt strangely afraid to voice her questions – afraid that there would be no answers for her to be found here.

Licking her suddenly dry lips, she took a deep breath to steady herself and spoke in a clear and formal tone of voice.

"I came here Eldest of our blood, to learn of our history. To hear of the origins of our curse, and to find out how it is that you have escaped its grasp – if not entirely, then at least managing to stave off the inescapable wanderlust."

The _eldest_ looked at her, and perhaps it was Di's own fear, but it seemed as if there was sadness within those ancient eyes. There was no immediate reply, and suddenly it struck her that there was no way that she was the first one to ask these questions – that she was the first _draegon_ seeking reprieve from their cursed blood. The _eldest's _words on others seeking answers that he didn't have flew through Di's mind, and she could almost hear the _eldest_ thinking – 'You too, eh?'

Perhaps she did at that…

_:: You too eh? I thought as much, seeing as how you deny your heritage insofar as to be a newly-born hatchling when forced to move about in your true form…. But it is not your true form is it? You are not so much a draegon as a human that has been cursed since birth to carry a burden you are afraid others would discover. ::_

Dianna flinched away, the words striking home. The _eldest _must have seen it, for his next words carried with them an almost soothing quality.

_:: Do not think I am judging you – as draegons we are granted the unique chance of picking the race we count as our own even as the curse makes sure we can never truly be a part of them. How can I begrudge your decision to be a human in so far as you can when I have seen many others pick the same? I may have chosen differently myself and so do most draegons, but I am not you, and you are neither them nor me._

_Now come, sit, and listen. ::_

Pausing to make sure that his words had the intended impact, the _eldest_ uncurled slightly from his position and motioned for Di to come over and lean against his side. The ground had sufficiently cooled that it was not uncomfortable to do so, and Di allowed herself to relax ever so slightly as the inner fire of the _eldest's _draconic body pushed away the last hold that the island's cold winds had on him.

_:: While I can easily impart upon you the story of how our cursed blood came into existence, I will leave that for later. Instead, why dont I will start with my own story – the tale of how I was born, the story of the Viking tribe that had once lived on this island over a millennia in the past, and the legends that my own mother spoke of to me before she had to leave, much like your own probably did._

_For me it all started here, on this island of Berk. It was, as was told by many when the winters caused the few oak trees that managed to take root upon the island to crack, twelve days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death._

_When harsh winters caused local dragon tribes to seek food from the only place they could – the Viking settlement of Berk – it was not all too rare to hear mutterings of dark times, gods' anger, or even ill put thoughts that the Jotnar from Jotunheimr walked the lands of Midgard once more._

_What with winters becoming steadily worse, and dragon raids becoming more and more frequent, you could almost believe that the isle of Berk was located solidly on the meridian of misery… ::_

_._

* * *

**A/N**

Well, that is the end of the prologue chapters. As you can probably all tell, the next part will be Hiccup telling his own story (the start of which is right here at the end of this chapter).

Unfortunately I am quite busy and am not even sure I can get enough time to keep writing Ouroboros (my main story), so I might not update this for a while (I only have perhaps 200 words written of chapter 3, so I don't have any padding for this story...). Even if I do, updates will probably not be on a schedule but more of -if there is time-.

Sorry for that, and thank you all who reviewed!

.

That's all from me today folks,

Saienai Signing off.


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